Father thanks God for sparing family after deadly tornado rips through Ohio home

March 20, 2024

An Ohio father whose home was destroyed by a deadly tornado last week is thanking God for sparing his life and keeping his family safe. The Christian Post reports that Lakeview, OH resident Blaine Schmitt’s wife and young children were on their way home but made a last minute decision to turn around.

Schmitt told The Columbus Dispatch, “I thank God that I’m alive and that my kids weren’t here. It was very emotional when I first got here, and it’s been emotional ever since then. But I pray every day and it paid off.”

The tornado that destroyed Schmitt’s home was one of seven tornadoes that tore across parts of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana last Thursday night. Three people were killed as a result of those storms.

Schmitt told a television station that his 1 and 3 year old children and their mother were just minutes away from home when they decided to turn around in order to avoid the tornado. He said that had they arrived before the tornado hit, the children would have been in an upstairs bedroom that was heavily damaged.

Schmitt stated, “I’ve been praying about God keeping my family safe, and he does. He did. I already knew God was with us and our family. This just is proof.”

According to The Christian Post, Governor Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency across 11 counties impacted by the storm and expressed his condolences to those who lost loved ones.

Photo: top, Blaine Schmitt, Credit: YouTube/WSYX ABC 6